


The Beginning of the End

by EverydayGeek



Series: Playing House [1]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-08 22:49:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6878035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverydayGeek/pseuds/EverydayGeek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Root’s wrists struggled against the rope keeping her arms in place above her head and pulled at them with all her might, eager to catch Shaw’s hand in her grasp. “Sameen, I swear to god, if you don’t finish what you started-“</p><p>Shaw cut her off with a cruel chuckle. “You’ll what? Shoot me? Have The Machine forge a marriage certificate so you and I will be bound together forever?”</p><p>or</p><p>The Prequel to "Playing House".</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, so if you've read/are currently reading my Shoot fic "Playing House" this is just a fun little prequel to the story, told in Root's POV. I'm currently working on my newest chapter for the story, so if you're currently waiting for an update, this should hold you over until then. Hope you enjoy.

The Machine worked in mysterious ways. This wasn't news to Root, of course, but sometimes it surprised her that _she_ could still catch her off guard. When _she_ told her to report to Harold for a new number, Root was dumbfounded. In the past year that she'd been connected to _her_ , The Machine had always fed the numbers directly to her, providing Root with all of the resources she'd need in order to complete her mission. But now, as she punched the entry code into the vending machine and stood back as the hidden door opened for her, she wondered what was special about this case. About this number.

Descending the stairs that led to the abandoned subway station, Root smiled at Bear, who was lying outside of the subway entrance, and gently patted him on the head. He let out a contented whine at the contact and Root felt her heart stutter in her chest. Who would've thought that receiving acceptance from the dog who adored her "sort of" girlfriend could affect her this much?

Offering the canine a final pat, Root entered the subway car and was greeted with the sight of Harold's back, the man's attention focused on the several computer monitors before him.

"What do you got for me, Harry?" Root asked the preoccupied man.

Harold jumped, clearly startled by her sudden appearance. Root smirked.

Harold shot her an unimpressed look and pointed to the two young faces displayed on the nearest monitor. "Joshua and Daniela Ahmadi," he told her. "This is the second time their numbers have come up this week and with John and Sameen in Juneau working on a relevant number, I'm going to need you to look into it."

"Is that why _she_ asked me to report to you? To help you with the numbers while the mayhem twins set Juneau aflame?"

Harold furrowed his brow. "I called you in half an hour ago, Miss Groves."

Root smiled, clearly finding humor in his statement. Harold created God, yet he still didn't seem to understand that _she_ was always one step ahead of him. It was cute, really, how he still lived in denial of her true power. " _She_ told me that you'd need my help three hours ago, Harry. I was simply just waiting for your call."

Root ignored Harold's troubled look and studied the children's pictures. She frowned.

They were young. Not that young people were incapable of committing unspeakable acts that could warrant a possible life-threatening retaliation (Root hacked into bank accounts and drained them dry when she was just thirteen), but there was something about them, a certain look in their eyes, that told Root all she needed to know. A low voice buzzed through her cochlear implant, spouting off random facts regarding the two teens.

"They're currently living in a foster home located in Midtown," Root provided, to which Harold hummed in acquiesce.

"Yes, their parents died three years ago in a car accident, leaving them in the custody of their paternal grandparents. They were put in the system a few days after their grandmother's death, which was about two weeks ago; their grandfather died two years ago from natural causes. Up until last week, they were temporarily taken in by family friends."

"Any idea who would want to hurt them?" Root asked as she studied their faces.

In their own unusual ways, both teens looked startlingly similar to Sameen. Joshua had the same mischievous glint in his dark eyes that Shaw often got whenever she'd successfully planted a new bug on John or Harold without them noticing. Daniela sported the same bored expression Sameen had managed to wear ten hours a day. Root found it endearing and told Shaw as much, but only ever received the scowl that painted Shaw's features for the day's remaining fourteen hours in response. Root felt a draw to these kids and found herself willing to look after them, despite the fact that she hated kids.

"Unfortunately, I have not the slightest clue," Harold sighed and looked at his watch. "The children attend Mayfield Charter, which is located just outside of Scarsdale. School ends in thirty minutes; you can make it in twenty if you leave now."

Root smirked as Harold dug through his coat pocket and produced a set of car keys. Her smirk only widened when he held the keys out to her.

"If I didn't know any better, Harry, I'd say you were beginning to trust me," Harold rolled his eyes and shook the keys in his grasp impatiently. Root smiled and grabbed the keys from his fingers. "Alright, I'm going. But I'm taking the dog." Root offered Harold a parting smile as she exited the subway and turned to the dog lying on his favorite pillow outside of the car entrance. "Bear. _Hier_."

The Belgian Malinois immediately jumped to all fours and ran after Root as she ascended the subway stairs. Root placed a hand on the canine's head and smiled. "Looks like you're warming up to me, too, buddy. I'm finally starting to feel like a part of the team."

Root meant for it to be an offhanded remark, but the warmth that spread through her body at the thought was almost overwhelming in its ferocity. Bear butted his head against her thigh to regain her attention and Root smiled down at him as she opened the door leading out to the street. Allowing Bear to exit first, she locked the door behind them and made her way to the black SUV parked at the curb, pressing the button on the keys to unlock the door.

Opening the passenger door for Bear, Root watched the canine settle into his seat before closing the door and walking over to the driver's side. Once inside with her seatbelt strapped over her chest, Root glanced at Bear and smiled.

"Let's roll."

* * *

Biting into a bland granola bar, Root watched hundreds of students pour out onto the front lawn of Mayfield Charter School, following the shrill dismissal bell that left a ringing in Root's good ear. She watched as students ran every which way to catch their different modes of transportation; some kids boarded nearby school buses, some retrieved their bikes from a nearby bike rack, some walked, and some went toward the school parking lot, getting into their ridiculously expensive foreign cars, with their abnormally large group of friends climbing into the backseat.

They all looked like your average high school snobs.

Root scanned the school's front lawn for the numbers, but they were nowhere to be seen. _They were probably still inside_ , she concluded. Keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of her numbers, Root turned on her communication line and was immediately greeted with the sound of heavy grunting, pained screams, and muffled curses.

"Hey, sweetie, sounds like you're having a great time in Juneau."

An exasperated huff, followed by a sickening thud could be heard. _"What do you want, Root?"_ came Shaw's breathless voice.

"Just checking in," Root teased, still seeing no sign of her numbers. "I haven't seen in you in two days. Just wanted to see how you've been."

" _I've been doing my job. Our number, Senator Collins, is an ass. His wife is an ass. His security detail is not only incompetent, but they're oblivious too. His security detail has been infiltrated by three hitman hired to take him out. John and I have taken down two of them, but the third one escaped."_ Shaw told her _._

They'd gotten to the point in their relationship where sharing details about their missions and having normal conversations about their days had become a regular occurrence. The one thing they'd never discussed in detail, however, was their feelings.

"Where is good ol' lurch?" Root asked teasingly as her eyes landed on her numbers.

Root noticed Joshua - tall, tanned, and toned - with his arm slung over his sister's shoulder as they made their way toward a nearby school bus. His sister ducked from under his arm and shoved him off of her, eliciting an affectionate chuckle from the older boy. He obviously cared greatly for her, from what Root could see, and he wasn't afraid to show it. Their dynamic almost reminded Root of her and Shaw. Almost.

" _Root, I gotta go. We just found our third perpetrator,"_ said Shaw, the sound of static and wind buzzing over the line. She was obviously running after someone. _"I'll see you tonight."_

Root smiled as the line went dead. Shaw wanted to see her when she got back. For someone who claimed to dislike her half the time, she sure liked spending time with her. But, then again, this was coming from the same woman who biked across state lines to keep her out of danger. This was also the same woman who said St. Louis made steaks that tasted better than sex, but then proceeded to ignore the steak Root brought back for her in favor of eating Root instead. Sameen Shaw was a walking contradiction and Root wouldn't have her any other way.

Bear whined from his spot in the passenger's seat, obviously feeling a bit claustrophobic from being in the car for so long. Root smiled sympathetically at the canine and reached her hand behind her seat to retrieve his leash from the back. Once her fingers came into contact with the leather material, Root grabbed it and brought her hand toward Bear's collar, looping the metal clasps together. Bear excitedly wagged his tail as Root opened his door and allowed him to leap out first. Root, then, opened and closed her door, and walked around the car to where Bear dutifully waited for her to approach him. Closing the passenger door with her heel, Root pocketed the car keys and made her way across the street with Bear walking ahead of her at a leisurely pace.

Root noticed Daniela and Joshua, still waiting to board the bus, the line to get on growing at an expansive rate. Looking at the people standing around the two, Root looked for any sign of a threat, but came up empty. Everyone around them was either focused on their phones, focused on their friends, or focused on themselves. No one paid the two siblings any mind.

Odd, Root thought.

" _Miss Groves,"_ Harold's voice buzzed through her earpiece.

"Yes, Harry?"

_Did you neutralize the threat?" He asked._

Root furrowed her brow. "No, why?"

" _Because their numbers have been wiped from the system. They seem to no longer be in danger."_

Root surveyed the area, studying the faces and actions of everyone within a five hundred foot radius. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Do you think someone else took out the threat or…?" Root inquired.

" _It is possible. Or the perpetrator may have had a change of heart."_

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

" _Not at all, but for now you can just head home and we'll wait for Miss Shaw and Mr. Reese to come back from their mission. We'll discuss our next step tomorrow morning."_

"Okay," Root agreed, watching as the numbers boarded the school bus. Once they were on, Root looked to Bear and rested her hand on his head. "Let's get you back to Harry. I have a date to prepare for."

* * *

And what a date it turned out to be.

Her hands gripped at the rope binding her wrists together, the coarse material wrapping around her fingers as she pulled against it, tilting the pillars of the black, wooden headboard forward with the action. She hissed in pain as the polypropylene roughly grazed against her palms, turning the pale skin of her hand a startling red. Callused hands roamed over her body, setting a blazing trail across sweat-slicken skin; from the valley between her breasts, to the curve of her hip, her skin set alight, matching the fire in her partner's eyes.

Shockwaves wracked through her body as teeth sank into the meat of her inner thigh, while strong, toned arms wrapped tightly around them, holding them in place. A warm tongue flicked over the bitten area, soothing the stinging pain the bite elicited. A low moan escaped through bruised lips, the back of her head thumping against her feather-stuffed pillow with a muffled thud as fingers pushed their way into her entrance. Her body shook with pleasure, while her hands tugged relentlessly at its bindings, eliciting a low groan from the headboard and a quiet whimper from herself. With the addition of another finger and a particularly hard thrust, her back arched off of the mattress, causing the bindings to further strain against her wrists. A low growl tore through her throat as sharp fingernails scratched over the skin of her abdomen, leaving a trail of red, angry scratch marks in their wake, while the four fingers from the hand working its way inside of her increased in speed and strength, causing her eyes to clench shut and her wrists to ache as they continued to strain against their bindings.

"Stay still," the harsh voice of her partner whispered as they grazed their teeth over her swollen clit.

Root gasped. "Sameen…"

"Root," Shaw challenged, thrusting into her harder as she wrapped her lips around Root's sensitive clit. Root released a low, strangled moan, and Shaw released the nub with a wet _plop_. Shaw stilled her fingers and smirked at the petulant whine that escaped Root's mouth at the sudden halt. "What was that?" Shaw teased, slowly withdrawing her fingers from Root's heat.

Root's wrists struggled against the rope keeping her arms in place above her head and pulled at them with all her might, eager to catch Shaw's hand in her grasp. "Sameen, I swear to god, if you don't finish what you started-"

Shaw cut her off with a cruel chuckle. "You'll what? Shoot me? Have The Machine forge a marriage certificate so you and I will be bound together forever?"

Root exhaled a frustrated sigh and continued to struggle against her restraints, spitting out a desperate, "just finish it."

Shaw chuckled again, but did as she was told, resuming her rough thrusts and capturing Root's clit between her teeth. With Shaw harshly sucking on the swollen nub and thrusting into her at a brutal pace, Root felt her orgasm building and her walls tightening, and just moments later, she came with a silent gasp.

Root sagged against the mattress, her arms going limp, and her breath coming out in uneven pants. Through heavy lidded eyes, Root watched Shaw smirk and wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Well, that was fun," Shaw joked, rolling off of the mattress and getting to her feet. She moved toward the headboard and untied the rope binding Root's wrists. With a low, impressed whistle, Shaw raked her eyes over Root's body, from her raw palms and wrists, to the red, angry scratches littering her abdomen, shoulders, and back. Root was aware that she looked like a cat's scratching post.

She wouldn't have had it any other way.

Catching her breath, Root looked to Shaw, who was too busy redressing to notice the disappointment in her eyes. "What, is my bed not good enough for you to sleep in?" Her tone was meant to be playful, but there was an underlying sadness bleeding through her words and Root knew Shaw could hear it clear as day. She watched Shaw's relaxed posture turn rigid as her fingers stilled against the zipper of her hoodie and immediately regretted her words.

Shaw turned to face her, her face blank and devoid of the playfulness it once had. "As much fun as this has been, I would rather spend the night in my own bed."

"Okay," said Root, quietly, careful to mask the sadness in her voice this time around. She failed.

"Look, Root," Shaw started, heaving out an uncomfortable sigh, "you're hot, and one of the few people on this planet who can keep up with me in the bedroom…but I think we should stop."

"Stop what, Sameen?" Root inquired, eyebrow raised.

"This." Shaw replied, gesturing between her and Root. "This time was the last. I feel that the lines between us have gotten blurred."

Root snorted derisively. "We've been screwing for over a year, Shaw. Not to mention that you and I have been exclusively screwing _only_ each other all this time."

Shaw glared. "I've screwed more than just you this past year."

"Really?" Root challenged, smirking to herself as The Machine's voice suddenly buzzed through her implant. "Because, according to _her_ , the only person you've gone home with over the past thirteen months has been me. Care to explain that?"

Shaw clenched her jaw, zipped up her hoodie, and wordlessly walked out of Root's bedroom without sparing her a backward glance. Root sighed and stared up at the ceiling, mindlessly rubbing at her sore wrists as she heard the front door slam shut.

She should be used to this by now. Although she knew Shaw cared for her, sometimes she just wished Shaw would vocalize it a bit more (not that she really needed to; Root knew, should the situation call for it, that Shaw would take a bullet for her without hesitation). Had John not shown up when he did six months ago, during a relevant mission in Budapest, Shaw would have very well been shot and killed at point blank range. Shaw saw the gunman before Root had and immediately stepped in front of her to shield her from the gun aimed at her head. John shot out the man's kneecaps before he could even pull the trigger.

It was Shaw's actions that kept Root from demanding anything more from her. Root knew Sameen would never be able to truly love her, but her acceptance of that didn't change the fact that she craved a verbal confirmation saying otherwise. What could she say? She was hopeful.

The two loves of her life consisted of an Artificial Intelligence and a sociopath. Root knew not to expect much affection from either being.

She did anyway.

Root was walking a contradiction, and she would change that if she could.

* * *

It was seven a.m. and Harold was already typing away on his computer, pondering over the public records of the Ahmadi siblings. According to The Machine, John and Sameen were still asleep in their apartments, which was a testament to how exhausted they must've been from their trip. Sameen and John usually woke up at five a.m. every morning like clockwork; Root supposed it was a habit they'd picked up in the military. It was rare for them to sleep in, but even a former CIA and ISA operative needed to recover from jet lag. Root tried not to think too much about the fact that Shaw fought her exhaustion to come see her the night previous, despite her exhaustion (she failed and already planned to tease Shaw about it relentlessly).

"Up already, Harold? Do you ever sleep?" Root asked as she snuck up behind the man, chortling to herself at his startled jump. Harold was far too easy to scare.

"You're here early, Miss Groves. I thought we agreed we wouldn't meet until after nine," said Harold.

Root shrugged and took a seat on the computer desk, staring at the kids' files. "Did their number come up again?"

Root knew that it didn't. The Machine would have informed her by now. "No," he responded. "But their numbers have appeared three times this week and have disappeared almost as quickly as they'd appeared. These kids are in constant danger and they don't even know it."

"So, what do you propose we do?" Root asked, crossing her arms over her chest to ward off the cold subway air. Harold always kept the station unnecessarily frigid.

"I have a contact in the foster care system," Harold started, "and I think it'd be best of we place the children with Sameen and John until we can locate and neutralize the threat."

Root scoffed. "Please, as if your helper monkey and Sameen could ever pass for a couple looking to foster children. Their social skills are practically nonexistent and there's a good chance they'd frighten the poor children. Sameen and I could do it." Harold flushed and averted his eyes to his keyboard. "What?" Root questioned.

"I don't think pairing you and Miss Shaw together would be appropriate," he said quietly, avoiding Root's impenetrable gaze.

Root suddenly felt defensive. "Why? Because we're two women?"

Harold's eyes widened in surprise as he shook his head in disagreement. "Oh, no, not at all. I mean, given the nature of you and Miss Shaw's relationship, I just thought it wouldn't be appropriate to pair you together on a mission that requires your undivided attention," Harold said, attempting to tread lightly. Root snickered.

"Are you insinuating that Sam and I are not in control of our hormones? I know I'm irresistible, Harry, but I'm not irresistible enough to distract Shaw from her mission, especially not when there are kids' lives at stake," Root argued, smirking at the defeated expression on Harold's face.

"I suppose you and Sameen would be a more suitable option," Harold sighed. "I'll craft your temporary identities right away. I'll schedule for you and Miss Shaw to meet with the kids' caseworker tomorrow morning. I'll have John work the other numbers in the meantime."

Root smiled and replied, "Great!"

Harold rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his computer screen. "I trust that you will inform Miss Shaw of the mission?"

Root, who had already pulled her phone out, smiled at Harold. "Already on it."

" _Why are you calling, Root?"_ came Shaw's gruff voice after the first ring.

"Do you remember last night when you asked if I would ever have The Machine forge a marriage certificate so we'd be bound together?" Root asked slyly, snorting at the troubled expression on Harold's face.

Root realized much too late that their comms. had been on the entire time during she and Shaw's _date_. It definitely wasn't the first time they'd forgotten to turn it off. The looks on Harold, John, and Lionel's faces were worth it, though.

" _Root,"_ Shaw growled, _"what the fuck did you get us into?"_

"Let's just say that you and I are temporarily taking our relationship to the next level."


End file.
